Wind power efficient and reliable, says study

A new report has claimed that wind turbines are an efficient and reliable way of generating energy, rejecting the claims of sceptics.

According to a survey carried out by the centre-left think tank IPPR and energy consultancy firm GL Garrad Hassan, every megawatt-hour of wind-generated electricity provided carbon savings of at least 350kg.

“Wind power can significantly reduce carbon emissions, is reliable, poses no threat to energy security and is technically capable of providing a significant proportion of the UK's electricity with minimal impact on the existing operation of the grid,” said IPPR fellow and report author Reg Platt.

Fellow authors Paul Gardner and Oscar Fitch-Roy added that at the levels of wind power currently projected in the UK by the end of the present decade, there should be no shortfall in the energy supply even in spells of cold and calm weather.

Earlier this week, the Scottish government launched the latest phase of its Saltire Prize, as part of which renewable energy firms will compete to create the most efficient method of harnessing tidal energy.